vis

Could also be to remain relevant and keep the resume current in case a head coaching job pops up elsewhere. Neither Therrien nor Yeo was likely to land a HC job this season. Sometimes it's hard for a guy who remains out of the league to get another HC job in the NHL. Being an assistant better enables a coach to remain up to date on league trends, teams, players, etc. so that he can talk authoritatively on those topics when he interviews for a HC job. The foregoing may be less applicable to Yeo given that he was fired this past year, but I think it's applicable in Therrien's case who hasn't been in the NHL since 2017. In Yeo's case, I think his tenure in STL and MIN indicate he's not quite ready to be a HC and has some learning to do. This is a good gig for him in that regard. Another possibility is that Therrien doesn't have a desire to be a HC any longer. Maybe he doesn't want to deal with the players, scrutiny, pressure and other responsibilities at the HC level. Whatever the case, curious how things go with Therrien. Don't think he's a well-liked guy and I have never been very impressed with his teams. I like that he may make some players uncomfortable or challenge them, but I don't like that he can be a pretty mean dude. I don't think that tactic works well with players these days.

I generally don't care about that stuff, assuming the trade makes sense at the time. Can't worry about what a player becomes in the future. Never a guarantee that he would develop in that fashion here anyway. I get this position, however. Part of me wants to see, at least in the first half of this season, how he plays. Sign me up for that. No issue there.

Yes, Hagg is movable as well. But I think Ghost is more likely to get a better return.

I'm not opposed to trading Ghost in a good ol' "hockey trade." Though, part of me does want to see what he can do under some different, experienced coaching. Anyway, the current roster of d-men is crowded, but also in need of an upgrade if the Flyers intend to be Cup contenders in the near term. No offense to Provorov, but he could use a legitimate top pairing partner. They also need a credible, veteran d-man who can steady the ship in the locker room (and on their own zone) when things get dicey. Maybe they can find a single player to be both the legitimate first pairing guy and calming veteran presence. So, based on what I perceive to be the Flyers' needs, one or two players among the current defensive crop have to be moved. Ghost is the likeliest candidate to be dealt. I would probably trade him for Kapanen with no problem. Would the Leafs? I mean, is Ghost really the kind of d-man they need?

AV and the new coaches alone won't get this team to a Conference final, but it should be enough to get them to the POs. But, to be real contenders, I agree they need more talent and veteran leadership.

The story goes that the Blues started to rally as a team around a song called "Gloria" when they heard it in a bar in South Philadelphia, of all places. I'm not sure the success is due to Berube or rather that the team just growing and becoming closer. They play for each other and have no passengers. Good goaltending has helped them as well. Not trying to take anything away from Berube, but it seems like there is more to the team dynamic than coaching. Also helps having a pretty talented roster.

Yeah, this. Maybe as an assistant he won’t be such a ****. Or, possibly that’s just what this team needs. Let him be the bad cop to AV’s good cop.

I wouldn’t be too happy with that. Kind of scares me a little. But, at least Fletcher is trying to address what appears to be too lax of an atmosphere in the locker room. Also, it kind of signals that this team is in dire need of legit coaching. The lack of experience has set them back.

Man, not really sure how I feel about this. First, I have never cared much for Therrien much at all. Always thought he was arrogant and if anyone listens to Spittin’ Chiclets, it’s pretty clear the guy is an asshole and not well liked by at least some of his players. On the other hand, maybe these guys need someone who isn’t going to pat them on the head and say “good try.” Maybe they need a real ball buster. But, I do wonder if any UFAs think a little harder about coming here. I do do worry a little about how Patrick, Konency and other youth might develop. I don’t think it’s great to ride young players early in their development. Really torn rim about this. I also can’t stand Therrien’s face. Not looking forward to seeing his sour mug every game.

Leafs will not let Marner go. I don't know all of the ins and outs of the Leafs' cap position and player needs, but I'm pretty certain they will move whatever assets they need to move to free up cap space to keep him and they will do so before July 1 (probably at or close to the draft). Also, although everyone knows the Leafs need to free up cap space, I don't think Kadri, Nylander or Kapanen will come cheap. There will be multiple teams bidding against each other which will keep the price up. Do I think the Leafs get full value? No. But I don't see them having to take crumbs for these players. Btw, I don't think Nylander gets traded. I think Kadri is gone (although his on-ice antics hurt his value somewhat) and probably Kapanen as well. Again, I think moves are made before July 1. The Leafs are in win-now mode and want NHL Players. Draft picks don't help. Once they figure out who they can live without, they will move that player for NHL players and avoid a potential offer sheet where they have virtually no control. Assuming that's the Leafs' timeline, it makes things very interesting for potential suitors. Do you trade for Kadri or Kapanen or do you wait to see if you can get a center or winger in UFA?

He was exactly what the Flyers needed. I don’t recall the cap situation, but I think they could have signed him. I think the only issue might have been that they were loaded with RW depth.

I’m not. It was a lame joke referencing the fears some have that Fletcher is going to empty the prospect pool to bring in vets, particularly those he has familiarity with. However, Spurgeon is a pretty decent dman. See above. Also, I don’t have interest in trading Farabee or Frost either. I do think some of the lower tier prospects may get moved in a package.

Changing topics, and maybe this was discussed elsewhere, but I saw that Jay O'Brien is going to leave Providence. https://www.philly.com/flyers/jay-obrien-providence-college-hockey-flyers-2018-nhl-draft-20190424.html Sounds like he had a rough year. Honestly, I'm a little worried about our offensive prospects at this point. Frost and Farabee hopefully turn into top 6 players. There's no telling what happens with Rubtsov (coming off a lost year) and Laberge (who I think out of the picture). I had hoped that Wade Allison would make the jump, but I thought I read he's returning for his senior year. He had a rough year looking at his stats. Know he was coming off an injury, but doesn't sound like he progressed this season. I know Ratcliffe had a good year. Hopefully he can make an impact, but I don't know if he's got the skating ability to thrive in the NHL. What do we make of Strome and his skating ability? I don't know. Just a little nervous about some of our guys. Maybe my concerns will be alleviated when Fletcher trades some of them this offseason for Jared Spurgeon....

Flyers may have made the POs this year if they had competent goaltending for the entire year. So, assuming they get said goaltending next year, adding AV behind the bench should absolutely result in PO spot. The question is whether they can win a round or two. I don't think better goaltending and coaching is enough to accomplish that. The roster needs improvement. That's where Fletcher really needs to earn his money this offseason.

Also, they should leave the Kate Smith statute covered up that way. Looks like Palpatine now.

Didn't realize that was the reason. I was thinking that the organization finally realized it's a bit of a tired routine. Time for something new. Frankly, trotting out ol' Kate was a bitter reminder to me of how good this team once was. I'd wager more than 75% of the fans in the arena didn't care anyway. Let Lauren Hart sing God Bless America if they want to mix it up.

I don't blame Queeneville either. I don't blame Fletcher for not talking to him if Quenneville made clear he had no intention to go anywhere other than Florida. I just think it speaks volumes as to the current status of the franchise. Philadelphia is not a destination, no matter how much money Dave Scott and Comcast thinks it has to spend. I'm sure that little stunt during the season with Quenneville didn't help things either. We can talk about the youth coming up, the productive players currently and the desire to win. But this franchise is in a little bit of disarray. Who knows what the plan is this offseason? And who knows what the hell you have to deal with in having Comcast/Dave Scott as your ultimate boss. Gordon would have been gone by now if he's not a possibility. If they had zero intent on retaining him, they would have said so. However, he's a failsafe in case all other options fall through. I really don't know how I feel about AHL coaches. I question whether this team will respect anyone lacking NHL pedigree. I will say this: I give them a lot of credit if the are legit looking at those coaches. It tells me they are taking the search seriously and not hiring on name alone. But, as I said, I am not sure that type of coach will command the respect of this team or be capable of leading it. Not just yet...

Been hoping for a couple of those for 7 years now.

According to Carchidi, Fletcher said they didn't contact Quenneville. https://twitter.com/BroadStBull/status/1115276629184528390 Uh, what? Good God, if true, that's even worse...

Sums up my feelings entirely.

I get that Florida has some things to offer. But I think this organization, and much of its fanbase, believes the Flyers are a premier organization on the cusp of being a legitimate Cup contender with some NHL star power, promising youth in the pipeline and deep pockets to buy whatever it needs to make it happen. Well, the organization just whiffed on its top target for its top priority. What does that say about how Q views this team? I get that Florida is nice whether and Tallon and he are buds. If Q thought as much of the Flyers as they do themselves - and given the shitpots of money the Flyers could likely pay him over what Florida is paying him (even after taking into consideration of taxes) - don't you think he would have come here? Point is, the Flyers organization needs to disabuse itself of the notion that it's a place people want to come. Sorry, but they don't. They haven't been in the hunt for a premier UFA in a long time (maybe that's a good thing; but the point remains...) and now the best coach on the market apparently didn't want to come here either. Just terrible. Agree, but I think it's going to be Boudreau. And that will be disastrous. I may prefer McLellan or Vigneult over him.

[Violently pukes]

Also, why hasn't Gordon been politely told to get the **** out?

Says an awful lot about the Flyers' organization if this turns out to be the case. Have to think that false start when Hakstol got fired played a part. Absolutely embarrassing. I don't think this can be understated: the Flyers losing out to Florida for Q's services is a complete travesty. This should be a major wake-up call to this organization. Sadly, it won't be. I don't think management or the players have the self-awareness to realize that they are a joke. Also, to be clear, I'm not saying Q would have solved all of the problems. But, I do think he was the right guy to get the current group straightened out. Even if you don't think Q was the right guy, you know he was highest on the org's wishlist. And they lost him. To Florida. Let that sink in. Looking forward to Boudreau/Yeo/Bylsma. What are the chances of Babcock getting fired if the Leafs lose in the first round? Or even Laviolette?

Same here and that’s the scary part. Again, I think Holmgren is just a soldier for his boss. His boss says we need to makes changes, Homer goes into action. Scary.